Someone To Watch Over Me
by Allie02
Summary: Teyla can count the number of times she has seen her father since his death on one hand. Written for the Missing Persons challenge at the LiveJournal community sgaflashfic.


_Written for the Live Journal community "sga flashfic" for the 'missing persons' challenge._**  
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x x x**  
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**Someone To Watch Over Me**

They were playing by the river when Darin was taken. It was the first vivid memory that she had of her 'gift', of the cold fingers that slithered across her body from the limbs inward until they closed over her heart and consumed her.

The river was the boundary of their playground, the furthest that the elders would allow them to run to during the day. She had pushed him into the water, and was running away with the others when the cold had taken her. More curious than frightened, she stopped near the tree line. Her gaze drifted upward seconds before the Wraith Dart tore through the air above her.

Teyla whipped round in time to see Darin climb out of the water and into the beam.

x x x

Lena was taken in the same attack that took both Teyla's father and brother. It was the most devastating culling that they had experienced for several generations. And it left Teyla without a single family member, not even a cousin.

She thought that she saw Lena when they were last on Athos, seconds before she pushed Aiden out of the way of a Wraith beam. Later, she decided that she must have been mistaken. But when she heard the Lanteans talk of ascension and life beyond death, she couldn't help but wonder.

x x x

Teyla could count the number of times that she had seen her father since his death on one hand. On each occasion, she had been in danger. The first was on Athos, not long after his death. She remembered being by the river when she felt the chill overwhelm her. Racing back towards the village, she realised that the screams were coming from all around her.

Her father was walking in the direction that she had come from, his back turned to her. She followed calmly and silently, waiting for a Dart to fly overhead and take her. None did. He disappeared by the river bank; she waited there until dawn. At some point during the night, the screaming stopped, and one by one the survivors joined her. There were more than she thought there would be.

The last time that she saw him was during the siege of Atlantis. Her head ached from the chill and her fingers felt numb as she tried to hold up her weapon. Peering out into the corridor, she winced as she spotted a body on the floor. Only the legs were visible from her position, the grey of the Lantean uniform surprisingly vivid beneath the light of the explosive sky. Teyla didn't know which direction to choose; the Wraith seemed to be everywhere. She turned back behind the door, letting her head fall against the wall as she took a deep breath.

Glancing out again, the body lay untouched to her left. To her right, her father stood, his face expressionless as he watched her. She turned right.

x x x

"Alright, let's make this quick. If you find anyone, direct them to the Gate and tell them to wait there for us. Rodney, you're with me. You guys head to the village, we'll check out everything between here and the forest."

Teyla nodded before turning to follow the trail of charred ground that lead to where the Maranian settlement had been. They walked in silence, having been through the excruciating search for survivors too many times to count, and yet not enough to find the right words to say.

She stopped as they reached the first tent and shivered. Looking up, she was surprised to see the afternoon sun still strong in the sky.

_Wraith._

She turned and ran in the direction that they came in, Ronon following closely behind with his weapon aimed high. They saw each other at the same time, John pulling Rodney towards the trees as Teyla and Ronon changed direction and ran across the clearing to meet them. They waited until the piercing noise of a Wraith Dart passed before facing one another.

"They're on the ground too, heading towards the village."

"They'll have the Gate covered. We won't make it past them," Ronon replied.

"They've decimated the place, what more do they want?" Rodney peered up at them as he rested his hands on his bent knees, still breathless.

"Survivors." Ronon shrugged. "They know that they'll group together if there are any, be easy to get at them. Must be getting desperate if they didn't get enough people the first time."

"Well, hopefully that means that they won't be here long if they don't find anyone." John peered through the gap in the branches for any sign of activity. "We'd better keep moving, just in case."

"Where to?"

Teyla looked around them, knowing that it would be foolish to venture too far into the forest. Her gaze fell on a solitary figure leaning against a tree behind Rodney. The boy couldn't be more than ten years old.

_Darin._

"What?" She turned to see Ronon watching her, visibly concerned.

"We should go that way." When she looked back, there was no one there.

"Seems as good a direction as any," John muttered as he brushed past her.

They didn't have to walk far before reaching a small clearing. Ronon lurched forward, gun aimed at the dark growth that covered the base of the small hill in front of them.

"Ronon?"

"Thought I heard something."

All four weapons twitched as a hand emerged from behind the leaves, raised tentatively as a voice called out, "Don't shoot!"

Even at a distance, they could see that the hand was human. John led the way, gun only lowered once he reached the opening to the cave and saw the huddled bodies, cold and frightened. The owner of the hand ushered them in.

"They won't find us here. They never do."

Ronon paused at the opening. "I'll keep watch. Should see them coming through the clearing from here."

John held back, waiting for Teyla. "That was lucky. Been here before?"

She shook her head. "It was a...gut feeling."

He watched her for a moment before smiling. "Well, it was a good one. Thanks."

John walked away to join Rodney and the remaining Maranians, oblivious as Teyla looked upward and whispered, "Thank _you_."


End file.
